Trunk.



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TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, 1909.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

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TRUNK. APPLICATION TILED MAY 14,1909.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

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WILLIAM THOMAS FULLER, OF SUFFOLK, VIRGINIA.

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Specification of Letters Patent."

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

Application filed May 14, 1909. Serial No. 495,920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM THOMAS FULLER, a citizen of the UnitedfStates', residing at Suffolk, in the county of Nansemond and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Trunk, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to trunks and its object is to provide a device of this character which can be readily converted into a bureau or dressing table.

Another object is to provide a device of this type having a mirror normally concealed therein but which can be readily shifted into positionabove the top of the A still further object is to provide removable legs or supports whereby the body of the device can be held above the floor.

A still further object is to provide a trunk the closure of which is arranged in front thereof and is designed to be elevated so as to constitute the top ofthe bureau or dress- A mg table, said closure, when elevated, ex

posing a series of .drawers.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the prei "ferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the trunk as it appears when stored or in transit. Fig. 2 is a perspective l view of the same device set up for use as a bureau or dressing table.

Fig. 3 1s an enlarged vertical section through the parts, said section being taken from front to rear and the closure being shown locked in lowered position but the legs or supports in place beneath the body. Fig. 4 is a vertical section extending from end to end of the rear portion of the device and showing the mirror concealed within the body of the trunk. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4: but

showing the mirror elevated. Fig. 6 is a view partly in plan and partly in section of a portion of the top of the trunk and showing the means employed for locking.,,the mirror in lowered position. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the legs or supports which may be used in connection with the device.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates the trunk body, the

same being open at the front and having its end or side walls and its bottom cut away at the front so as to constitute seats for the closure 2. This closure is hingedly connected to the top of the trunk body as indicated at 3, the meeting edges of the closure and top being preferably beveled as shown in Fig. 2 so as to permit said closure to fit snugly upon the front edges of the end and bottom portions of the trunk and at the same time allow it to rest firmly upon the top of the trunk when the closure is raised as shown in Fig. 2. It is of course to be understood that the walls of the trunk body and the 6 and is arranged upon springs 8 which serve to hold the strip 7 normally elevated into contact with the lower ends of parallel guide cleats 9 which are arranged within the compartment 6. These cleats are spaced apart a sufficient distance to receive a mirror 10 between them, said mirror being provided in its sides with recesses 11,-one of which has been shown in Fig. 5. The top of the compartment 6 is open and is provided with closures 12 each of which is in the form of an elongated strip the length of which is equal to one-half the length of the compartment 6, the two closures being mounted on transversely extending pivot pins 13 which are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the length of the mirror 10. Inwardly extending arms 14 are arranged upon theclosures 12 and each of these arms has a spring 15 attached to the free end thereof,

said spring being also secured to one wall of the compartment 6. Lugs 16 extend perpendicularly from the closures 12 at those ends thereof farthest removed from the arms 14, these lugs being designed when the elesures are extended upwardly from the compartment 6, to project into the sockets or re-' .cesses 11 heretofore referred to.

In order that the two closures 12 may be locked in position within the open end of the compartment 6, and with their upper faces flush with the top of the trunk body, a lock 17 is arranged within the top of the trunk and the bolt 18 thereof is designed to project into the meeting ends of the closures as indicated in Fig. 6. This lock 17 is designed to be actuated by the same key utilized for unlocking the closure 2. It is of course to be understood however that any other suitable means may be utilized for securing the closures 12 in position.

Horizontal partitions 19 are located within the trunk body and slidably mounted on each of these partitions is a drawer 20, the front end of which is exposed to view when the closure 2 is elevated onto the top of the trunk body as shown in Fig. 2.

Brackets 21 are arranged upon the bottom of the trunk body adjacent the corners thereof, these brackets being designed to receive tongues 22 extending at right angles from the upper end portions of legs or supports 23. When these legs or supports are not in use they can be carried within one of the drawers of the trunk and brackets 21 at such times constitute means for supporting the bottom of the trunk body out of contact with the surface on which the trunk is mounted.

As shown in Fig. 1, when the closure 2 and the closures 12 are locked in their shunt positions, the device has every appearance of an ordinary trunk, and the same can be transported as such without danger of in jury to the contents thereof.

When it is desired to set up the device for use as a dressing table or bureau, the closure 2 is unlocked and swung upwardly and backwardly onto the top of the trunk body, the face of the closure thus exposed being suitably ornamented or finished so as to present an attractive appearance. The legs or supports 23 can then be placed in engagement with the brackets 21 and the closure 12 can then be unlocked. As soon as said closures are unlocked the springs 8, which are held normally under stress, will force the strips 7 upwardly against the guide cleats 9 and thus project the upper portion of the mirror 10 against the meeting ends of the closures 12. Said ends will therefore be raised upwardly and the upper end of the mirror will be projected above the top of the trunk body. The mirror can thus be grasped and pulled upwardly between the closures 12 which assume positions at right angles to the top of the trunk body where the lugs 16 are free to project into the sockets or recesses 11. The mirror 10 will thus be held pivotally supported above the top of the trunk body, the springs 15 exerting a constant pull upon the lower ends of the closures12 so as to maintain the lugs 16 within the sockets or recesses 11.

When it is desired to return the mirror to the compartment 6, the closures 12 are pulled apart to a slight extent at their upper ends so as to withdraw the lugs 16 from the recesses 11. The mirror 10 can thus be W pushed downwardly between the closures 12 and the guide cleats 9, it being of course understood that the arms 14 are off-set laterally to a suiiicient extent to permit the mirror to pass them. After the top of the mirror assumes a position below the pivot 13 and upon the strip 7, the springs 15 will pull on the arms 14: so as to draw the closures 12 into lowered position whereupon said closures can be forced downwardly and locked, this movement resulting in the compression of the sprin s S. The legs or supports 23 can then be p aced in one of the drawers 20 after which the closure 2 can be lowered and locked.

It will be seen that a device such as herein described is very compact in construction, durable and attractive and will be found especially advantageous because of its double function as a trunk and as a bureau or dressing table.

It is of course to be understood that various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of the invention.

hat is claimed is 1. A device of the class described including a body a mirror slidably and removably mounted therein, mirror supports movably connected to and shiftable into position above the body, and elastic means for clamping the supports upon the elevated mirror.

2. A device of the class described including a body, mirror supports movably connected to and constituting closures for a portion of the body, a mirror within the body and movable between and into engagement with said supports, and mirror cushioning means within the body.

3. A device of the class described including a body having a compartment, oppositely disposed closures for said compartment, yielding means for holding the closures normally in position, a structure slidably and removably mounted within the compartment, said closures constituting means for yieldingly bearing against and supporting the structure above the body.

4. A device of the class described including a body having a compartment, closures for said compartment, yielding means for holding said closures normally in predetermined positions, a structure slidably and removably mounted within the compartment and movable into position between and in engagement with the closures when elevated, and a resilient support for the said structure when within the compartment.

5. A device of the class described including a body having a compartment therein, a

yielding support Within the compartment, a structure slidably mounted Within the compartment and normally bearing upon the support, oppositely disposed supports constituting closures for the compartment, yielding means for controlling the movements of said supports, and means carried by the supports for engaging and holding the slidable structure When elevated above the body.

6. A device of the class described including a body having a compartment therein, oppositely disclosed pivoted closures for said compartment, means for locking the closures,

means for automatically shifting the clo- 5 

